Start of the Pilgrimage

How long did I happen to float around like that?

A minute? A day? A year?

As soon as I opened my eyes, all I could see was a pitch-black darkness. I had lost all sense of time.

Is this what it feels like to die?

I tried to recall what had happened and how the recent events led me to this place, but I couldn't wrap my head around the current situation. Who were those divine beings? Why did it happen today of all days? What was their goal? What did happen to the world I was living in?

Well, every attempt to solve those questions is probably futile as I am now... dead?

Even though I was convinced, that I had been floating around in this pitch-black darkness for what is called an eternity, it still felt surreal for me.

My leg which should've been crushed is completely fine and all the bruises I had also disappeared as if they were never there.

Even my torn vocal cord healed.

As I was slowly starting to accept my 'death', a sudden spark of light appeared right in front of me. Subconsciously my hand instantly reached out to this spark, and the moment I touched it, the light of it completely enveloped my body. My conscious was starting to get sucked into this spark. The darkness shattered, as it was simple glass which I could've destroyed any moment I wanted to.

I reappeared in Düsseldorf. Instinctively I reached for my leg and throat simultaneously, just to notice that every wound had disappeared like in the darkness. Even my clothes were completely fine. However, that only applied to my body. All around me were just ruins and corpses. I didn't understand why I was the sole survivor of this apocalypse. Fatigue overcame my body and I noticed… Shit I was starving.

How long did my body lay around like that? My lips and throat were completely dry, and my body ached like I hadn't ate in days. How am I supposed to find food in this wrecked space?

Is there even anything left out here?

While thinking that I would drop unconscious any second, I simply walked along the trail, trying to avoid looking at all the corpses and ruins around me. Why was I alive? What did those divine beings mean with the selection process? Numerous questions circulated my mind. However, I couldn't come up with answers. How could I? I couldn't even grasp what had happened to the world. Did the catastrophe affect the world in its whole, or only Germany, or maybe even only Düsseldorf? If it only had affected Düsseldorf, then why has no help appeared yet looking for survivors? Why is my body completely fine?

The weight of all those unanswered questions began to press heavily on my mind. Amidst this mental turmoil, my gnawing hunger took a backseat, and my usual alertness waned. That's probably why I failed to spot what looked like a wild boar nearby. Except, this wasn't your typical wild boar. It had menacing fangs and sharp claws, unlike any boar I'd ever seen. Fortunately for me, it was preoccupied, feasting on a nearby corpse and hadn't yet detected my presence

Wait…

Feasting on a corpse?

Since when did wild boars eat humans?

As this thought emerged my mind, the wild boar turned around and noticed me. It started to sprint towards me.

"Fuck!" I screamed as loudly as I could, hoping that maybe someone else had survived and would help me. But as I anticipated. No one answered my slur. Since there was some distance between me and the wild boar, I managed to run away for a few seconds, but it didn't take long for this beast to catch up to me. It bared its fangs and jumped towards me. I dodged by rolling my body to the ground, evading the boar but gaining scratches all around my body. My pants were torn, and I simply ran away. I didn't look back and ran with all my might trying to survive. But all my attempts were futile. Seeing how it was already catching up to me, I picked up a metal pipe and launched towards it. I was determined to survive. I didn't understand where this will to live had emerged from.

A fierce determination welled up inside me. The need to survive, the drive to uncover the enigma of this apocalypse. As the boar lunged, time felt as though it was stretching, every moment dilating. With every heartbeat, our distance closed. I tried to strike, aiming for what seemed to be a sure shot.

Yet, to my disbelief... I missed?

My strike only met empty space, causing me to stumble and fall. Confusion clouded my thoughts. Then it struck me: my hunger had weakened me, pushing my body to its brink. This can't be my end. Is my life destined to be pointless and disgraceful?

Convinced that these were my final moments, the deadly glint of the boar's fangs loomed ever closer, seeming to occupy my entire field of vision. In a mix of fear and defiance, I impulsively thrust my left arm toward the creature. The searing pain that erupted as its sharp fangs sank deep into my flesh made me scream out loud. Desperate and driven by that agony, I seized a broken shard of glass with my right hand and, with all the strength I could muster, rammed it deep into the boar's face.

Its agonized screams echoed, but I was unyielding. I stabbed, then stabbed again, and yet again, each thrust fueled by raw desperation and the primal urge to survive. Every repetition felt like a declaration to the world of my determination to exist.

Losing count of how many times I stabbed the wild boar, I stared at its lifeless face and felt warm blood tricking down my arm. Then the pain overcame me. I couldn't move my left arm anymore. But I was alive. For the first time, I felt like I'd truly achieved something. Even though I didn't know how far this success will take me, as new challenges awaited me next.

How can I safely consume the boar's meat without getting sick? And what about my wounded arm? As these thoughts raced through my mind and I looked for a way to stop the bleeding, a mysterious black pop-up message suddenly appeared before me.

*

Body is in an emergency state.

Please nourish your body as soon as possible in order to prevent your body from dying.

Time left until Death: 10 minutes, 56 seconds.

When consuming food and water, your body will be cured of any sickness and all wounds will be healed.

*

Am I fucking dreaming?

Did I just risk everything for some game-like notification to taunt me? What's this about only having a few minutes left? And how in the world am I supposed to prepare this boar meat with such limited time?

Wait… I will be cured of any sickness, won't I?

With hesitation, I began tearing into the raw flesh of the boar. I didn't bother cleaning it or cooking it to kill potential pathogens. I took my shard of glass, sliced off manageable pieces, and consumed them.

It felt like only a few minutes had passed when another notification flashed before me, hovering just above the previous one.

*

Pathogens entered your body.

Possible infections are prevented.

Body recovery started!

Current recovery status: 76%

*

The sensation in my left arm began to return, as if it was piecing itself back together. I felt every muscle fiber knitting together, the pain almost unbearable. Yet, I gritted my teeth and bore through the agony.

Once my injuries had fully healed, the messages vanished as swiftly as they had appeared.

As I was still unfamiliar with this system, I couldn't rely on it to heal my body everytime it was damaged.

As the whole situation calmed down, I simply pondered.

Why was I so obsessed with survival during the fight with the boar, even though I had nearly succumbed to the enveloping darkness? What was the nature of that abyssal darkness that had threatened to consume my mind? How had my body mended itself so quickly? And who was behind those game-like pop-up messages?

Questions swirled in my mind, each one more perplexing than the last.

Memories of my past began to resurface. Throughout my life, I always felt overshadowed, constantly outplayed by those more shrewd and intelligent than I. But this desolate world presented a new start, a reset. No longer would I be the pawn in someone else's game. Regardless of how many others survived this apocalypse with me, I won't hesitate to do what it takes to ensure my survival. I don't care if I have to kill, betray or lie. I will survive. I will survive in this apocalyptic world, unravel the mysteries which led to everything and kill those fucking divine bastards which put me through so much pain.

At the end of this pilgrimage, the only one on top.... Will be me.